


It's not a prank

by TheIceQueen



Series: Buttercreams and friends prompts. [4]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Anger, Arguing, Awesome Joe, Bad Jokes, Brothers, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Friendship, Holding Hands, Hugs, Jokes, Light Angst, Men Crying, Nervousness, Sleepiness, Worried Conor, Worried Joe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 05:38:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14826354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIceQueen/pseuds/TheIceQueen
Summary: Prompt:Could you perhaps write something about how Jack is busy for the whole day (in a meeting or whatever) and didn't tell anybody so he can't answer his phone and the boys (Conor and Joe mainly) get really worried and think he's gone missing or something, please? Some hurt/comfort between Conor and Jack especially would be cute, maybe Jack doesn't appreciate how much Conor loves and cares for him?





	It's not a prank

“What if he’s lying in a ditch somewhere?! Does London have ditches?”

“Nope. It would probably be a back alley… or some sex-maniac’s basement.”

“Not funny, Joe. What if he’s hurt?”

Joe pulled Conor down to sit in the couch and sat next to him.

“Conor. It’s only been four hours since you first called him. It’s Jack. He probably forgot to charge his phone.”

Conor shook his head and wringed his hands in his lap. “No. It’s ringing. It’s just going to voicemail every time.”

Joe took Conor’s hand, trying to stop him from pressing all the blood from his fingers.

“There’s a hundred and fifty reasons why he wouldn’t pick up, meeting, dinner, or maybe he just forgot it at home.”

Conor shook loose from Joe’s grip and stood up, started to pace the floor. “You have been to dinners with my brother. He’s checking his phone every five minutes. It’s the same with meetings, he’s horrible actually. You know he would run through half the city to get it, if he’d forgotten his phone. I’m telling you; something’s wrong.”

Joe walked to Conor and put both hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Conor, you’re overthinking this. Let me try and call him and then Josh and Casper, maybe he’s with Mikey. Sit down, I’ll grab my phone.”

“You don’t have your phone one you?! What if he’d called you? What if there’s a problem with mine?”

“Will you calm down for a second. You’re freaking out.”

Conor sat down and was right back to wringing the blood from his hands. Joe walked to his bedroom and tried to shake the growing feeling of worry inside him. _C’mon Joe. It’s just Conor getting to you. Noting’s wrong._ He grabbed his phone and was surprisingly sad that no messages or missed calls showed on the screen.

He picked Jack’s name and like Conor said it rung till it went to voicemail.

“Jack! Call Conor, like right now. He’s freaking out and I can’t stop it… Please don’t be in a ditch somewhere.”

Joe shook his head, this was ridiculous. Jack was fine.

“Call your brother!”

Joe hung up and called everyone he could think of. He caught himself, almost calling Conor. He would be the one to know where Jack was, and Joe suddenly got why the older Maynard was so worried, if _he_ couldn’t get a hold on Jack, who could.

“Anything?”

Joe was met by a white-faced Conor jumping to his feet, as he walked back to the main room. Joe shook his head and watched the younger man drop heavy back in the couch. Joe grabbed two sodas from the kitchen and sat down next to Conor.

“Here. Drink some. You’re not even breathing right.”

Conor took the bottle with two shaking hands and rested his elbows on his knees. “What shall we do? Joe. If he’s hurt…”

“Hey, hey.” Joe rubbed Conor’s back slowly up and down. “We don’t know that yet. Let’s just give him an hour or two more to get his shit on order, alright?”

Conor nodded. He must have known that he was overreacting, but he still only stared at the soda in his hands.

“C’mon. Drink and I’ll make some dinner. I’m sure he’s fine.”

Conor put the bottle on the coffee table and shook his head. Joe walked to the kitchen and from there he watched Conor curl up with his back against the armrest. Filling up the tiniest space in the corner of the big couch he had his arms around his legs, chin on his knees and both hands on his phone.

Joe started with the food, and as he watched Conor, dial the number again and again, he got more and more angry with Jack. Still he couldn’t shake the feeling that something could actually be very wrong. Conor was right; Jack was addicted to that phone.

* * *

Jack all but tumbled through his apartment door. He’d had quite the day. A meeting early in the morning and dinner with some journalist after, then a lot of shopping and making sure he had everything for his travels the next month. He’d eaten at the local Chinese restaurant on his way home, because it was getting to late to cook, and the place had been swamped and it had taken forever. He was exhausted and quickly got ready for bed.

He dropped his phone on the bedside table and opened up his laptop. He knew he’d probably gotten some mails he should answer. After twenty minutes of reading, the most important mails and answering those which couldn’t wait till the morning, he placed the computer on the other side of the bed and praised the lord that there was no reason to set an alarm for the morning. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

“Joe. It’s ten pm. It’s been eight hours. When was the last time Jack didn’t answer for _eight hours_?!”

Joe had to admit that he didn’t think that had happened before. Conor hadn’t eaten at all, the soda was still on the table, untouched. Joe hadn’t eaten much either. He was slowly losing the battle of keeping calm for Conor’s sake.

“I’ll try again, Conor. If he’s not answering, we’ll go to his apartment.”

Conor looked Joe in the eyes for the first time in hours and nodded. He looked grateful. Joe smiled encouragingly and walked out of the room to call without Conor hearing.

“Jack. _I’m_ freaking out here. Conor is a mess. Pick up the damn phone.”

Joe opened the door to the main room. “C’mon, were going.”

On the way to Jack’s place Joe texted a few people to ask if they still haven’t heard anything. None of them had and most of them were sure Jack’s phone was swimming in a sewer or was swept up by a street sweeper by now.

Conor hammered on the door. “Jack are you in there?”

“Don’t you have a key?” Joe knew Conor had one but wasn’t sure he’d remembered to bring it in his soaring panic.

Conor looked like Joe had totally forgotten that the key was invented. He picked his keychain from his pocket and unlocked the door.

Joe couldn’t keep up with Conor but saw him freeze in place in the opening to Jack’s bedroom. Joe walked over surprised to be afraid of what he would see. Jack was sleeping. On his stomach, arms and legs spread over most of the bed and his head turned away from the door. Joe took a deep relived breath and shoved Conor through the door.

It was like Conor got his mind back, and he rushed to Jack’s side, as Joe turned on the light. Conor shook his little brother awake and was met by a startled and confused look.

“What? Conor?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. What time is it?”

Conor sat down on the edge of the mattress as Jack pushed himself op. “You sure you’re alright?”

Jack rubbed his eyes and squinted against the light. “Except from being shook to live in the middle of the night with two guys in my room, yeah I’m great.”

Joe noticed his body tightening up and his breathing getting more profound. Jack was oblivious to what Conor had gone though for half a day. What _he_ had gone through, and it pissed him off.

Conor stared at his brother for a few moments, then he saw the phone. He took it and turned on the screen. Joe wasn’t sure if Conor was going to cry or throw the phone on the wall. He watched the older Maynard’s jaw stiffen and his hand shake around the phone. Suddenly he dropped the phone on the table and shot up and walked quick and determined from the room.

Joe managed to put a hand on Conor’s shoulder when he passed him in the doorway. He could feel the anger burning through him and he let him go.

“Joe? What was that? Some kind of prank?” Jack was sitting upright against the headboard now and looked more confused than tired.

“I really hope not. If this was a prank, I’ll kill you, if your brother doesn’t get to you first.”

Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“I don’t get it. Are you angry, for real?”

Joe looked at the younger guy. He had absolutely no idea what was going on. “Hell, yeah I’m angry! Did you just see Conor?”

Jack nodded and swallowed a few times before answering. “Joe. Tell me what the hell is going on. I don’t know what I’m supposed to apologize for.”

Joe stepped into the room and closed the door. Conor was in the living room and Joe wasn’t sure he was ready to hear Jack explain his way out of this one.

“You’ve been M.I.A. the whole day. Conor showed up at my place frantic.”

Jack’s forehead frowned, and he shook his head. “I’ve been busy, but I’ve had my phone on me.”

Joe took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “We couldn’t get a hold on you. We thought something had happened.”

Jack chuckled. “Like what? I was abducted by aliens?”

Joe breathed trough his nose and counted to ten while trying to make his fists relax. “This is not a joke. Your brother has been a nervous wreck all day.”

“C’mon. Conor doesn’t overreact like that. He was probably playing you.”

Joe stepped closer and Jack clearly felt threatened, as he leaned back a bit and kept quiet. Joe took Jack’s phone. Eight messages from Conor and thirty-three missed calls. Joe knew he’d only made three of those calls. The sound and vibration was turned off. He handed the phone to Jack.

Jack looked at it and then at Joe. The younger Maynard’s smile slowly faded. “Joe…”

“Jack.” Joe talked calm but firm. “Conor hasn’t eaten or had anything to drink for the last nine hours. He’s used most of that time in my couch shaking and looking at his phone. Does that sound like he was playing me?”

Jack shook his head and looked down at is phone again. Joe left the room as Jack looked at the messages and listened to the first voicemail.

* * *

Joe found Conor pacing the floor between the couch and the dinner table. He wasn’t pale anymore and an angry read was creeping up his neck.

“Conor?”

Conor turned and looked at Joe. In that moment Joe was glad he’d decided to come in there before Jack. He took hold on both Conor’s shoulders.

“Lets just take one moment to be happy that he’s okay.”

“I did that. I gave him a moment in there. Now I’m pissed that he did that to me. To us. You were worried too, don’t try to deny it.”

Joe nodded. “I was. But I think he get it now. When he get’s in here, if he’s not to scared, try and remember that he didn’t do it on purpose. He didn’t know how worried you were, and he didn’t ignore your calls.”

Conor bit his lower lip and nodded. “It still not okay. Were used to be in touch.”

“I know, and I don’t think he will forget to check his phone gain anytime soon.”

Conor shook loose from Joe and took a few steps back. “He better not.”

“I won’t.” Joe and Conor both turned to look at Jack standing in the doorway. “I’m sorry, I scared you like that. I went through my phone. I’m so sorry.”

Joe silently moved to the far end of the room.

Jack walked slowly towards his big brother. “Conor, please. I’m sorry. I had a crazy day and forgot to turn the sound back on after my morning meeting.”

Conor stood frozen looking at the floor between them. He shook his head slowly, and Joe was sure he was biting his lip again. Jack moved closer and took Conor’s hand and to Joe’s surprise Conor let him.

“Please don’t be mad at me. You know I can’t take it. I didn’t mean to. I checked my mail on the laptop when I got home and went on twitter and everything on that. I didn’t think to check my phone. Bro, I’m sorry.”

Conor didn’t move but when Joe and Jack heard a sniffle Jack pulled Conor him for a hug and the older guy wrapped his arms tight around his little brother.

Conor cried on Jack’s shoulder and Jack kept apologizing. As Joe left the room he caught the younger brother’s eyes and sent him a smile to let him know that they too was alright again.

Joe let the brothers talk, while he texted Caspar and about fifteen more people he’d called earlier. When he was done he walked back in to find Jack sleeping on the couch and Conor sitting on the coffee table looking at him.

“I guess he really had quite the day.” Conor smiled and walked over to Joe.

Joe hugged Conor. “I’m sure you’re more tired than him. Go sleep and I’ll make sure the door is locked, so the sex-maniac can’t get in here.”

Conor knocked Joe on the shoulder, so he almost fell over. “Still not funny, Joe.”

Joe laughed and turned away. “I’m not sure how to stop the aliens though.”

“What?” Conor stopped on the way to the bathroom.

“Nothing. In the morning.”

Joe was sure that if the maniac-joke was too soon, the alien one would have to wait even longer.


End file.
